Gawronski Named to Corporate Position

Gawronski Named to Corporate Position

Larry Gawronski

Steve Peters, president of VenuWorks, announced that Bridge View Center Executive Director Larry Gawronski will be leaving that post to take a national sales position with the corporate office in Ames, IA. He will continue to serve in his present position until a successor has been named. VenuWorks has begun a national search to fill the position.

“Larry has done an outstanding job of creating new excitement, and bringing new events to Ottumwa,” said Peters. “He has built a reputation for successfully developing sponsorships for events, and it is that skill set that we are going to take advantage of in asking him to head our sponsorship sales efforts nationally.”

Peters added that he hopes the transition will be completed, and a new executive director will be onsite in Ottumwa, by no later than January 31.

Gawronski brings a variety of experience to his new role at VenuWorks. Originally from Buffalo, NY, Gawronksi attended State University of New College at Buffalo and immediately entered the venue management industry as the information coordinator for the Buffalo Convention Center where he was promoted to Director of Operations, then Sales and Marketing Director. Gawronski then moved to the Riverside Convention Center in Rochester, NY to be Director of Operations. He then accepted the position of General Manager at the Danville Civic Center in Danville, IL as well as the Odeum Sports Complex in Vila Park, IL.

Following his time at the Odeum, Gawronski moved to Vicksburg, MS to become the Executive Director for the Vicksburg Convention Center from 1995 through 1997. His career path brought him back to the Midwest where he was the President/CEO of the Aksarben Coliseum in Omaha. Following this, he went to New Orleans where he worked with PEF Development Services.

In 2000, Gawronski re-entered the venue management industry with VenuWorks (which at the time was called Compass Facility Management Inc.) in Business Development. In 2001, after the venue’s management contract was awarded to VenuWorks, he became the Executive Director for the Vicksburg Convention Center. In 2012, Gawronski made the move north to become VenuWorks’ first Executive Director for the Bridge View Center.